VolcaniCity – Tempest’s Volcano Trail

Thanks to generous support from The Curry Fund of the Geologists’ Association, Dr Rebecca Williams and I are delighted to launch the VolcaniCity project, which aims to use urban settings to teach people about volcanoes and volcanology. We are beginning in York by creating Tempest’s Volcano Trail.

This special walk across York city centre combines stories from the life of pioneering York volcanologist Dr Tempest Anderson with stony secrets from the city’s streets and buildings. Volcanic and igneous rocks can be found all across the city centre, and the trail will show off some of our favourites, explaining the science behind them and connecting them to the amazing photographic adventures of York’s own volcano-chaser.

We are launching the trail on Sunday May 31st, as part of the 2026 York Festival of Ideas. Tickets for our guided tour that morning have already sold out, but don’t panic. We will be offering the tour again later in the summer. Please keep an eye on my Eventbrite page. Also, at 2pm the same day, Becky is giving a volcanoes talk at Tempest Anderson’s old house, now the home of York Medical Society, and you can book tickets for that event here.

Furthermore, a key part of the project is for us to create an online map of Tempest’s Volcano Trail, alongside a printed guide, so you can explore the route yourself, at your own speed. These will go live during the summer. We will also be inviting volcano-chasers young and old to contribute to the trail with their photographs or drawings of volcanoes. Full details will be released later this month. In the meantime, if you’re out and about in York, keep your eyes peeled. In a few special places, the floor of the city really is lava!